


Giving in Isn't Always Defeat

by Stacysmash



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:16:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash
Summary: As bad as Nishinoya was at disrupting his work, Tanaka was the worst. Ennoshita had grown used to his energy, voice, and taunting expressions; he could ignore all that relatively well. However, when Nishinoya left the two of them alone, the soldier’s personality changed drastically. No longer brash and wild, Tanaka became oddly quiet and observant. The intensity of his gaze on Ennoshita would send shivers across his skin and brewed fresh desires that swirled around in his lower stomach. It was much harder to ignore him in those moments where he heard nothing but his own heart beat.Ennotanna Week 2018: Fantasy





	Giving in Isn't Always Defeat

Ennoshita smiled softly as a bird sang at his window. He glanced up to see it was a robin, hopping about on its stick legs to greet him before flying off to another part of the castle. He shook his head, wondering how the small creature could be so energetic at that time of the morning. Another insatiably energetic creature began to drift into his mind without his consent, and he coughed into the sleeve of his robe and went back to work.

His nimble fingers danced over flasks and low flames, preparing various medicines and potions for the King’s use. He had recently taken over for the previous court physician, Ukai Ikkei, who had been as hard-working as he was terrifying. Ennoshita learned a lot from him and greatly respected him, but he’d be lying if he said he missed the old man’s presence looking over his shoulder whenever he worked. Now he could work at his own pace in the peace of his tower.

Well, it was mostly peaceful, but sometimes the King’s soldiers liked to poke their heads in to chat about nothing and waste Ennoshita’s time. Kinoshita and Narita were fine, they brought with them juicy gossip from the court and the rest of the Kingdom and they also knew when to leave Ennoshita, so he could get back to work. It was Tanaka and Nishinoya that were the main problems, the volume of their voice enough to crack even his strongest flasks. Nishinoya seemed to get hurt more in his tower than in the battlefield, bumping into tables and receiving burns from scalding liquids that had been boiling on a burner. He always just laughed and said at least he was already in the Physician’s office and it saved him a trip.

As bad as Nishinoya was at disrupting his work, Tanaka was the worst. Ennoshita had grown used to his energy, voice, and taunting expressions; he could ignore all that relatively well. However, when Nishinoya left the two of them alone, the soldier’s personality changed drastically. No longer brash and wild, Tanaka became oddly quiet and observant. The intensity of his gaze on Ennoshita would send shivers across his skin and brewed fresh desires that swirled around in his lower stomach. It was much harder to ignore him in those moments where he heard nothing but his own heart beat.

Just thinking about Tanaka was making his palms sweaty and he rubbed them on his robes as he took a deep breath to shut him out of his brain. He was certain his cheeks were flushed as well the way his face was burning, and he pinched the front of his tunic and shook it to allow some air to cool his skin. It wouldn’t be so difficult if the soldier hadn’t visited him just the night before.

 

_The words on the scroll were beginning to blur together in the dim candlelight, and Ennoshita was relieved to hear a knock at the door to give him a break. All his relief flew out the window when Tanaka slid through the door with a plate of steaming food in his hand._

_“Come on, you need to eat something,” Tanaka chuckled at the glare Ennoshita gave him._

_“I’m fine, I’m not hungry.”_

_“Like hell, you’re not. You’ve hardly eaten all day!”_

_“How would you know?”_

_Tanaka rolled his eyes and stepped toward him, immediately gathering his books and scrolls to make room for the plate of food. Ennoshita sighed and began helping, mostly because he had them all organized and didn’t want them shoved in a haphazard pile. As soon as the scent wafted under his nose, his mouth started watering and a growl rumbled from his stomach._

_Ennoshita’s face grew hot as Tanaka barked out a laugh and set the plate in front of him._

_“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Eat, that’s an order.”_

_“I don’t take orders from you,” Ennoshita retorted, even as he began digging into the delicious food._

_“Hmm, I wish you did,” Tanaka added in a low voice, and Ennoshita nearly choked on a piece of meat. He refused to raise his head and focused on eating, hoping Tanaka couldn’t see how flustered he could be in his presence. With all the things the soldier loved to tease him about, at least he never teased him about that._

_While Ennoshita ate, Tanaka began wandering around the room looking at things as if he’d never been there before. Ennoshita couldn’t keep his eyes from drifting up to linger on Tanaka’s strong back, draped in a simple tunic. It had been a while since he’d seen him out of his armor, and as alluring as it was to see him in the gleaming metal, Ennoshita craved to see him in simple clothes so he could daydream of running his hand over the material and feel Tanaka’s rippling muscles underneath._

_Tanaka turned to look at him as if he could feel Ennoshita’s heated gaze. With a quick gulp of the food he’d been chewing, Ennoshita quickly turned to his glass and drank some tea._

_“You don’t have to wait here, you know. I can return the plate to the kitchens myself.”_

_“It’s fine, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”_

_“You could be in bed by now, resting.”_

_“I could be, but I’d rather be here,” Tanaka said, his voice completely serious as he continued wandering around the room. Ennoshita winced and returned to his food, anxious to finish so he could chase Tanaka out. He couldn’t believe he could say things like that without getting embarrassed, which made him even more flustered._

_As soon as he was finished, he gathered the plate and utensils and set it on the edge of his desk._

_“Here, I’m done. Thank you for bringing me food, but you can go now. I still have a bit of work to do,” He said as he stood up and walked to the other side of his desk and began fiddling with several potions. For a moment he heard nothing, but he didn’t dare look behind him to see Tanaka’s expression. Suddenly, there was a presence right behind him and Tanaka’s hot breath shimmering across his neck._

_“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Don’t work too hard, okay?” Tanaka said in a voice so low it rumbled, and Ennoshita found his body completely frozen except for his heart beating out of control. He didn’t have a chance to shake himself from his stupor before Tanaka’s hand gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and he was heading out the door with the plate in is hand._

_Even after being left alone in his tower, it took several minutes for Ennoshita to snap out of it. He finally groaned and sat down on the tiled floor, burying his face in his hands. He felt like he was going to die from Tanaka’s attention, but he knew he had to keep going. The King was relying on him and he had a duty to him and the entire kingdom of Karasuno._

_At that thought, Ennoshita lifted himself to his feet and got back to work. For now, his royal obligations could sustain and focus him. If only a certain soldier would give him a little peace once in a while._

 

Ennoshita had little sleep after that, his thoughts filled with the bald soldier who kept barging his way into his tower and into his mind whenever he felt like it. With many dignitaries visiting Karasuno that month, he had a lot to prepare and many potions to restock. He even thought about asking the King if he could send Tanaka on a lengthy trip to a neighboring kingdom, so he could concentrate, but before he could even utter the suggestion the chill of loneliness seeped into his skin and he decided he wouldn’t bother His Majesty with it. King Sawamura had enough on his plate.

Instead, Ennoshita stifled a yawn and continued to work through the morning despite the lack of sleep. The morning was the best time for him to work since the soldiers were busy with drills, preparations, and duties. It was quiet except for the songbirds that greeted him daily and the howl of the breeze sweeping through his open windows.

About mid-morning, however, there seemed to be a loud ruckus somewhere below. Ennoshita looked up from the smoking flask of green liquid and frowned, trying to listen. He couldn’t tell anything from his distance up in the tower, the commotion seeming to come from the front gate. It wasn’t noisy enough to be something drastic, like an invasion, so Ennoshita shrugged and continued to work. He was sure to hear about it from Kinoshita and Narita later, and there was only so much that concerned the court physician.

Not long after the ruckus died down outside, Ennoshita heard more voices shouting urgently but this time coming from the spiral staircase up to his office. He set his flasks down in alarm and rushed to the door, wrenching it open to see Nishinoya’s stricken face appearing just around the corner.

“Chikara, quick! He’s hurt,” He grunted as he took another step backward, and Ennoshita felt his whole body go cold when he recognized the body in Nishinoya’s arms and the bald head resting against his chest. Asahi was gripping onto his feet, and Ennoshita felt sick when he saw the amount of blood soaked into the side of Tanaka’s tunic.

“In here,” Ennoshita squawked out and rushed into his office. He had a special cot for patients, but he ran to his own soft bed instead and threw back the covers. As Nishinoya and Asahi set Tanaka gently upon the bed, Ennoshita scrambled around grabbing bandages and medicines and setting them on his bedside table with a clatter.

“What happened?!”

“He was on patrol when he heard some desperate cries. A pack of wolves had attacked a farmer and his family, so Ryuu went to help.”

“Since when do wolves leave the woods?” Ennoshita growled as he helped Asahi remove what little armor Tanaka had left. Being a physician, blood and other ailments hardly bothered him at all. But seeing Tanaka pale as a ghost in a blood-soaked tunic made Ennoshita want to throw up. It was wrong seeing the sun-kissed soldier, usually laughing with exuberant energy, laying there completely lifeless.

Asahi shrugged as he wiped his sweaty forehead with his forearm.

“From what the farmer said, the wolves looked like they were starving. There have been more attacks in recent days; too much competition in the woods for food with the neighboring kingdoms pushing into the forests for more land.”

“Tch, pity the wolves didn’t attack them.”

Asahi and Nishinoya didn’t answer but stood by quietly to obey any instructions Ennoshita might have for them. Tanaka’s tunic was quickly cut away from his body, and upon quick inspection, Ennoshita could see that all the wounds were from claws instead of bites. He was relieved for that; a wolf bite would be harder to treat with the threat of disease rather than just loss of blood.

He took a deep breath and switched completely into his physician persona. Meticulously he cleaned and patched every wound Tanaka had, including the minor scratches. He did not pause even once until Tanaka was completely bandaged up and all bleeding was stopped.

Ennoshita washed his hands and hopped across the room to wrench open his cabinet full of medicines. His eyes scoured over the bottles until he located one with a clear liquid inside with a soft golden tint. He slipped it gently off the shelf and rushed back to the bed, grimacing at Tanaka’s unconscious form.

“We have to wake him up, it only works if he drinks it.”

Nishinoya nodded emphatically and leaned down toward Tanaka’s ear.

“RYUUUU!!!!! Woooooooo, wake up, wake up, wake up!”

Ennoshita and Asahi cringed from the sheer volume of Nishinoya’s voice, but relief flood Ennoshita when he saw Tanaka’s eyelids flutter.

“Ugghhh,” He groaned, scrunching up his face and lifting his bandaged hand to his forehead. “What happened, where…?”

Ennoshita gripped the back of Nishinoya’s armor and yanked him back so he could kneel beside Tanaka. As soon as Tanaka focused on him, he sighed with a pained smile.

“Enno… did I get  _that_  hurt?”

“Yeah, they ripped you up really bad, but I’ve fixed you up. You need to drink this though,” Ennoshita said softly as he slipped his hand around the base of Tanaka’s head to lift him up. He tried to ignore how soft the seedlings of hair were and focused instead on bringing the bottle to Tanaka’s lips. Tanaka drank a sip and then scrunched up his face as he tried not to cough it up.

“Blech, that’s nasty.”

“I know, but it’ll help you heal,” Ennoshita replied as his thumb ran back and forth over the soft hair fuzz. Tanaka’s dark eyes widened as they stared up at him. With a nod, his tongue flickered over his lips and he drank some more. Once the entire bottle was emptied, Ennoshita released a heavy sigh of relief and placed the bottle on the stand.

“What else can we do, Chikara?” Nishinoya asked from where he stood beside Asahi at the foot of the bed.

“Nothing now, he needs to rest. Would you inform his Majesty that Tanaka will be fine, though it may be a while before he can perform his regular duties?”

They ignored Tanaka’s moan of dismay, and Nishinoya nodded with a grin.

“Absolutely. We’ll just leave him in your care then,” Nishinoya said as they turned away, but not before he shot a wink at Tanaka. Ennoshita frowned and looked back at Tanaka who pasted on an innocent grin.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just relax and try to get some sleep, okay?”

“Fine.”

Ennoshita felt a wave of exhaustion as he turned back to the rest of the room, but he couldn’t rest. He still had a mountain of work to do, and he needed to brew some fresh medicine for Tanaka once he woke up. Running a hand through his hair his eyes flickered to the mess of bloody clothes and bandages and started with that. Ennoshita was obsessed with keeping a clean workspace, especially when sick or injured patients occupied it. He shuffled around until the entire area was straightened up, but even then he couldn’t rest, or his worry would drive him insane.

He went to move back to his desk when his feet kicked something on the floor. He blinked in surprise when he looked down and saw several leaves decorating the floor. He bent down and scooped them up in his hand, noting several drops of blood decorating the green. He recognized the plant immediately, one that only grows on the edges of the forest and was integral for many of his potions. They were also difficult to find, and he noticed his stores running low lately.

“Oh, those were for you,” Tanaka said in a raspy voice, and Ennoshita jerked his head toward him in surprise.

“You brought these? How did you know I was out?”

Tanaka’s lips turned up in a smile and rolled his eyes.

“Because you talk to yourself. A couple days ago I was in here with Noya-san when we were bugging you, and you kept muttering about needing some. I swept some up while I was patrolling since I was out anyway. I would have gotten more, but that’s when I heard the farmer screaming.”

Ennoshita winced and clenched the leaves in his hand. His breath shuddered as he tried to control his emotions, but they began to crack through his well-built walls before he could stop them.

“Hey,” Tanaka said, his hand stretching out to graze Ennoshita’s arm, “Don’t go thinking it was your fault. I wasn’t out there to collect them for you, I was on patrol. It isn’t the King’s fault either for sending me, it’s my job, Ennoshita. Besides, if I hadn’t been there that family might have been killed. I was able to chase the wolves away before they did real harm to them and I still lived to tell the tale.”

“I know,” Ennoshita said as he stood, wiping his face where a few stray tears had fallen. “I’m sorry, I’m fine. I’ve never had to work on someone I cared about-- I mean, a f-friend, or… you know, I’m going to get back to work.”

“Ennoshita,” Tanaka said before he could turn away. He reached his hand out and curled his fingers to beckon him. “Come here for a sec, I need help.”

“Of course, anything.”

Ennoshita swept toward him, his eyes scouring over Tanaka to guess what he needed. His lips looked a little chapped and he thought for a moment he might be thirsty.

“Closer.”

He hovered over Tanaka until he was right above his face, biting his lip with worry. Tanaka grinned up at him and pressed his hands against the side of Ennoshita’s face, his thumb pulling his lip away from his teeth.

“Breathe,  _Chikara_ ,” He whispered, his eyes warm as they drew Ennoshita in. Obediently Ennoshita took a deep breath, but it did little to calm him with Tanaka’s hands gently holding his face and his breath ghosting over his lips.

“What did you need help with?”

“Well, first you needed to calm down. Even if I wanted to sleep I wouldn’t be able to with you going nuts like that,” He chuckled. “But I don’t want to sleep right now, not with you here and being adorable.”

“Adora-- I am  _not_.”

“Wow, you just got even more adorable. Stick that lip out a little further, huh?” He teased as he ran his thumb over Ennoshita’s lip once again. His eyes fell down to them, and Ennoshita’s heart began to pound.

“I-I should let you rest.”

“Wait, I need one more thing.”

“What?”

“Can you lean down and kiss me? I want to kiss you, and I’ve tried and I can’t even lift my head.”

Ennoshita sucked in a breath, stunned by the request and the intensity of Tanaka’s gaze. When he didn’t move, Tanaka snickered and pulled Ennoshita’s face down toward his own, slowly cocking his head so their lips connected perfectly. His eyes closed and suddenly Ennoshita felt like he could breathe again. It was warm and soft, and he inhaled Tanaka’s scent as he closed his own eyes. Tanaka’s lips curled up in a smile as he coaxed Ennoshita’s lips open, something Ennoshita did nothing to resist. He melted into it, humming as pressed himself deeper. His hands nestled against Tanaka’s impressive biceps that were currently covered in wispy bandages.

Suddenly, Tanaka began giggling between their lips and Ennoshita lifted off with a suspicious scowl.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I realized I’m practically naked. I’ve been trying for weeks to figure out a way to rip my shirt off in front of you without being blatantly obvious, but it’s tough when I’m wearing my armor.”

Ennoshita snorted out a laugh and rolled his eyes.

“There’s no way you could take your shirt off without it being obvious.”

“I know, it’s way better with you taking it off anyways,” He said with a wink, and Ennoshita groaned.

“Tanaka, I’d rather not take your shirt off because of an injury. Please take care of yourself.”

“If you promise to take it off for other reasons,” He teased while wiggling his eyebrows. “Speaking of which, this clunky cloak needs to come off, it’s in the way.”

“Oh, is it?” Ennoshita said as he stood up from the bed. He kept his eyes locked onto Tanaka’s as he unraveled the tie at his throat. The cloak fell loose on his shoulders, and slowly he shrugged the heavy material down his arms. Tanaka’s mouth fell comically open, his eyes not even blinking as they stared up at him.

“You’re still fully clothed, and yet that is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Hmm, I bet I can still beat it,” Ennoshita said with a grin and unbuckled his belt holding his tunic in place. Tanaka’s eyes widened as the belt hit the floor and Ennoshita slowly revealed his torso by lifting the tunic over his head. His body wasn’t like Tanaka’s, tan and packed full of hard muscle. He was pale from his many hours stuck indoors with work. But his body was long and threaded with lean muscle from the constant movement throughout the day.

He gulped as Tanaka’s eyes scoured over him and felt his cheeks grow hot. Tanaka’s hands reached out to Ennoshita, his fingers flickering toward him as he silently begged Ennoshita to come back to him. He couldn’t resist, and in one movement Ennoshita slipped onto the bed and hovered over. Their lips were joined again in a heartbeat, desperate this time rather than the gentle experimentation from before. They groaned as their mouths opened, slipping their tongues together in an intimate dance of wet heat. A whine slipped through Ennoshita’s throat as Tanaka’s rough fingers dug into his bare back, gripping so hard he was sure it would bruise. The thought of Tanaka marking his pale skin sent goosebumps down his spine, and without thinking his body lowered enough for his pelvis to rub against Tanaka’s.

They both gasped from the sensation and Ennoshita pulled away with apologies spilling from his lips. Tanaka laughed and cradled his face with his hands once again.

“Why would you apologize for making me feel so good? Please don’t stop.”

“I should, this won’t help you heal.”

“Bullshit, I feel better than before I got injured. Look,” He said gesturing to the area in his pants that Ennoshita could feel was growing harder.

“I’m not looking!”

“Chikara… I know we can’t do a lot, but we can make each other feel a little good. Here, come up here,” He said as he reached his hands down and grabbed his butt, pulling him up higher. Ennoshita squawked but there was no wrestling out of Tanaka’s grip even with him being so injured. He moved further up until his chest hovered above Tanaka’s face. He balanced himself on the headboard and glanced down, confused about what Tanaka intended.

Tanaka lifted his head as far as he could and stuck his tongue out to lap it against Ennoshita’s nipple. With a gasp Ennoshita held on tight, nearly dropping himself straight onto Tanaka. With a deep chuckle, Tanaka resumed running his tongue over Ennoshita’s chest, his hands gripping into his butt in pulses. Ennoshita released a string of expletives that would have had his mother beating his ass had she heard it, but it only seemed to egg Tanaka on more.

He continued holding onto the headboard with one hand, but he longed to touch Tanaka himself. He reached down and ran his hand over Tanaka’s head, his fingers lightly tracing over it until they cradled the back to support him. Tanaka moaned against his chest, the vibrations through his lips sending an extra shock into Ennoshita. He threw his head back and gasped, his mind growing hazy from the nearly unbearable pleasure Tanaka was inflicting on him.

At that moment the door creaked open, and the King entering without even looking at the scene in front of him.

“Ennoshita, is he all-whoa!” King Sawamura gasped as he slapped his hand over his eyes and Ennoshita flailed off Tanaka with a shriek.

“Your Majesty! I’m so sorry!”

“No, no! I didn’t realize you two were… ha, ha, um, yeah it seems like Tanaka’s fine. I’m just going to… go,” The King snickered as he backed out of the door with his hand still over his eyes, his other hand reaching out for the door.

“Wait, wait, what are they doing? I want to see!” Suga chirped as he stuck his head inside the door and cackled with glee when he saw the two of them on the bed. “Well done, Tanaka! It’s about time.”

“Suga, get out of here! Go tell Asahi and the others that he’ll be fine and to give him some time to rest. You’re under strict instructions not to tell them…” The King’s voice drifted away as he shoved his squire back down the stairs amid Suga’s protests.

Ennoshita groaned as he buried his face into Tanaka’s shoulder, but Tanaka chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Ennoshita.

“It’s alright.”

“I’m so humiliated.”

“Why? Sure, you’ll never hear the end of this from Suga-san, but his Majesty’s probably happy for us.”

“I know, but I’m your physician! What I did was entirely unprofessional.”

“You may be my physician, but I hope I can now call you my lover as well?” Tanaka asked as he brought Ennoshita’s hand up to his lips and kissed them gently. Ennoshita didn’t feel any less humiliated, but a flood of heat and excitement joined the previous feeling in a weird conflict of emotions. He leaned up and looked Tanaka over carefully.

“I’m fine with that, but for now you  _have_ to rest. Okay?”

Tanaka beamed up at him, looking nothing like a man that had nearly been mauled by wolves only a couple hours before.

“On one condition, you rest here with me.”

Ennoshita pursed his lips, trying to subdue the smile forcing its way on his lips. As much as he needed to be firm with Tanaka, he felt there was no way he could refuse the man anything.

“Deal,” He said softly, leaning down and brushing a light kiss against Tanaka’s lips before settling next to him on the bed. His eyes immediately grew heavy, his whole body warm as it nestled against Tanaka with his head resting in the crook of his neck. At last, he surrendered to sleep, lured there by Tanaka’s low humming and the brush of his fingers through his hair.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So in hindsight, I realized a tower is a terrible place for a Physicians office, ha ha ha. Oops, I wrote this pretty quick because I wanted to participate in EnnoTanna week. I hope you enjoyed it! :)


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